We are back at it this week. We've been reading Marley & Me together, examining the in and outs of what makes a great memoir. My favorite chapter is Chapter 5, "A Battle of Wills." I so enjoy the image of John and Jenny taking Marley to obedience classes and the tribulations of doing so. Ahhh, been there with my own dog, done that. My class was just giggling in fits, listening to the chapter. (Fourth graders particularly enjoy any story that has pet poop in it -- this one is a crowd pleaser!)
So now that we are about 7 chapters in, now, my little friends can begin making a list of possible memoirs that they could write. I start them off with "My Life as a..." I ask them to come up with 15 or 20 possibilities. Their eyes get as big as saucers until I share some of my possible titles. "My life as a.." ...mother of soldiers; ...gardener ...cookie baker ...big sister ... little sister. All the facets of my life could become the focus of my memoir.
My little friends come up some very original ideas: "My Life as a..."
...Nature Lover
...Traveler
...Fisherman
...Hip Hop Dancer
...Hamster Owner
...Pastor's Daughter
Good stuff! They come up with all of this on their own.
Tomorrow we begin drafting. They have to choose one topic from their list. They have to be able to write about three incidents relating to the topic. They also must have a message they would like to convey to the reader. Naturally, they have to craft their writing so that the message is evident, but not directly stated.
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